Psych 2510 1nd Edition Lecture 9 Outline of Last Lecture I. Separation anxiety disorderII. Anxiety disorders: epidemiologyIII. Anxiety Disorders: causes IV. Anxiety disorders: preventionOutline of Current Lecture I. Somatic Symptoms DisorderII. Biological Risk FactorsIII. Environmental Risk FactorsIV. Cultural and other FactorsV. A Causal Model of Somatoform DisordersVI. Risk FactorsVII. Strategies to PreventVIII. TreatmentCurrent LectureI. Somatic Symptom DisordersA. Somatoform and dissociative disorders were once thought to be linked, but they are now seen as largely separate entities.B. Somatization is a tendency to communicate distress through physical symptoms and to pursue medical help for these symptoms.C. Somatization disorder refers to the presence of medically unexplained pain and gastrointestinal, sexual, and pseudoneurological symptoms.These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.D. Somatic symptom disorderi. Experiences physical symptoms that may or may not have a discoverable physical cause (e.g. pain, fatigue, dizziness); excessive concern/worry; devote much time to concernE. Illness anxiety disorderi. Preoccupied with the thought of having a serious illness.F. Conversion disorder i. Refers to medically unexplained pseudoneurological symptoms.ii. Experience motor of sensory problems (e.g. paralysis, aphonia, blindness) that suggest a physical cause, although none has been found.G. Pain disorder i. Refers to medically unexplained pain symptomsH. Hypochondriasis i. Refers to excessive concern that one has a serious disease.I. Body dysmorphic disorder i. Refers to excessive preoccupation with imagined or slight flaws of the physical body.J. Factitious disorderK. Deliberately falsifying or producing physical or psychological symptoms i. Munchausen syndrome (self)ii. Munchausen by proxy (other)L. Malingering-producing symptoms with some external motivation (e.g. get out of jail, obtain drugs, prison, etc.)M. Somatization is common among medical patients, but formal somatoform disorders are less prevalent. The most common somatoform disorders are somatization disorder and hypochondriasis.II. Biological risk factors A. May include genetic predispositionsB. As well as key brain changes in the amygdala, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cingulate, prefrontal, and somatosensory corticesIII. Environmental risk factors A. Illness behaviors, which involve medically related behaviors potentially reinforced by significant others (reinforcement- secondary pain)B. Cognitive factors are likely powerful influences in somatoform disorders, because many people with these disorders use somatic explanations for even minor bodily changes.IV. Cultural and other factorsA. People form non-western countries tend to experience depression and anxiety, physically.B. Poor medical attention and care, problematic medical treatment, stressful life events, andgeneral emotional arousal may be risk factors.V. A causal model of somatoform disorders (causes)A. Focuses on misperception of symptomsB. Feelings of uncontrollability about symptomsC. Over attention to minor bodily changes.VI. Risk factors A. Stressful life eventsB. Traumatic experiencesC. Unnecessary medical interventionsD. Comorbid anxiety and depression.VII. Strategies to prevent A. Inform children and adolescents of strategies for preventing somatoform disorders.B. Educating parents and childrenC. Coping strategies and anxiety managementVIII. TreatmentsA. Therapists use interviews and questionnaires to assess people with somatoform disorders. These measures concentrate on DSM-IV-TR criteria:i. History of symptomsii. Illness behaviors and beliefsiii. Personality patterns and other relevant topics.B. Biological treatments i. Antidepressant medication to ease comorbid depression, fears of disease, and body preoccupationC. Psychological treatments i. Cognitive-behavioral strategies to reduce illness behaviors and avoidance, improve physical functioning, address trauma, and limit checking and other excessive behaviors.D. The long-term outcome of people with somatoform disorders is variable but may be somewhat worse for people with hypochondriasis. i. Severity of symptoms and degree of comorbid conditions are good predictors of